Seventeen of New Bedford's aging plows broke down in blizzard

NEW BEDFORD — Seventeen of the city's aging snowplows broke down in last week's storm and are out of commission, councilors said Thursday night.

NATALIE SHERMAN

NEW BEDFORD — Seventeen of the city's aging snowplows broke down in last week's storm and are out of commission, councilors said Thursday night.

"We have more snow coming. "» If we have another storm like that between now and whatever, we're not going to be able to plow the streets," said At-Large Councilor Denis Lawrence Jr.

The forecast is calling for the chance of several inches of snow starting Saturday morning and continuing throughout the day, with the possibility of some rain mixing in.

Councilors said they did not know how many plows the city has but said 17 is a significant number. The city augments its fleet with private contractors.

Councilors also said they have called for better snow removal equipment for more than a decade and pressed the administration to present them with proposals to fund new machinery.

"We've been asking for the proper equipment over an extended period of time," Lawrence said. "You want to bond? Let's bond."

"We need to go forward and look for the latest technology, the latest equipment we can afford," Ward 5 Councilor Jane Gonsalves said.

Mayor Jon Mitchell has said in the past that he will task the incoming chief financial officer with developing a five-year capital plan for the city.

"Let's start looking forward or if you have, communicate it back to us because we need to understand this better," Ward 1 Councilor James Oliveira said.

In general, councilors criticized the administration for communicating poorly with them during the storm and they stressed that they wanted to be included in briefings about the city's preparations. "Communication is important," said Ward 2 Councilor Steve Martins. "Let us know the plan so we can answer our constituents."

Councilors voted to request a public hearing on the NStar and city responses to the storm and voted to recommend making the emergency management director a full-time position.